# Track Mods for Your Lotus: What to Fix First The common track day modifications for the Lotus Elise and Exige: toe-links, baffled sumps, brakes, anti-roll bar mounts, AiM dashes and Honda K-swaps. Source: https://lotustrails.com/guides/track-day-modifications/ A standard Lotus is a very good track car out of the box. This guide is written mainly around the Elise and Exige, which are the cars most owners take on track, with notes for the V6 cars and the Emira where they differ. Most of the worthwhile modifications are about reliability under sustained load, not about going faster. This is the order most experienced owners would tackle them in. Always use a specialist who knows these cars, and check what your insurer and local regulations allow. ## 1. Fluids, pads and a proper check-over Start with high-temperature brake fluid, a track-capable pad and fresh engine oil. Then put the car on a lift and look at everything: toe-link joints, wheel bearings, damper leaks, driveshaft boots, radiator, undertray fixings. Many track day failures are simply old parts that nobody had looked at. ## 2. Rear toe-links This is the modification with a real safety case. The rear toe-link's inboard joint is mounted in single shear on the subframe. On cars running sticky tyres, with kerb strikes and high loads, the joint or its bolt can fail, and a toe-link failure at speed puts the car into a spin. The usual fix is an uprated toe-link kit with stronger rod ends and a brace that ties the two inboard mounts together, putting the joint in double shear. Lotus itself fitted uprated parts to its motorsport cars. If you fit one thing before using slick or semi-slick tyres, fit this. ## 3. Oil control on Toyota engines The 2ZZ-GE can suffer oil starvation in long, fast corners on grippy tyres, most often long right-handers. Starvation damages bearings quickly. Common measures: - A baffled sump (oil pan), which keeps oil around the pickup - Running the oil level at the top mark, and checking it between sessions - An oil accumulator for cars on slicks - A temperature and pressure gauge or data logger so you see a problem before it becomes a failure On US-market 2005 to 2011 cars, also confirm the oil cooler line recalls have been done. See the [recalls guide](/guides/recalls-and-known-issues/). ## 4. Brakes The standard brakes are well matched to the car's weight. For regular track use, owners typically fit braided hoses, two-piece front discs, which cope better with heat, and pads suited to the tyre. Bigger calipers are rarely needed on a four-cylinder car. V6 Exiges are heavier and harder on brakes, and Cup models come with larger hardware from the factory. ## 5. Tyres and geometry Tyres change the car more than any other single item. Popular track day choices have included the Yokohama AD08 family and A048, Toyo R888R and Nankang AR-1. Lotus specifies staggered sizes, narrower at the front, and the balance of the car depends on keeping that relationship. A track alignment adds front camber and adjusts toe to sharpen turn-in. It will wear the inside edges on the road and make the car follow cambers, so many owners settle on a compromise fast-road setting. ## 6. Dampers and anti-roll bars The standard Bilstein dampers are good for road and occasional track use. For more control, single- and two-way adjustable units from the likes of Nitron and Öhlins are the common upgrades, and several were offered by Lotus as factory options. An adjustable front anti-roll bar lets you tune the balance for stickier tyres. This brings up a known weakness, covered next. ## 7. Front anti-roll bar mounts (the "sway bar fix") On Series 2 cars the front anti-roll bar is carried on mounts at the front of the car that were designed around the standard, relatively soft bar and road tyres. With a stiffer bar and track tyres, the loads rise considerably, and owners report mounts flexing, loosening or cracking. The fix is a reinforced mounting kit, with stronger brackets and backing plates that spread the load, usually fitted at the same time as the uprated bar. If you already have a stiff aftermarket bar on original mounts, inspect them regularly. Uprated drop links are a sensible addition. ## 8. Cooling A full aluminium radiator replaces the original item with plastic end tanks. On supercharged cars, charge cooling is the limit on a hot day: a larger charge cooler radiator and pump help. An engine oil cooler upgrade suits cars used on slicks or in hot climates. ## 9. Seats, harnesses and recovery - Fixed-back seats with proper side support transform how well you can drive the car. Check harness compatibility and seat mounting strength. - Harnesses need a correctly designed harness bar or roll-over structure. Do not attach shoulder straps to anything not intended for the load. - Fit a front tow eye and know where the rear one goes. Marshals will ask. - An extinguisher within reach is cheap and occasionally very useful. ## 10. Data: AiM dashes and loggers AiM dash loggers are the most common data system in the Lotus paddock. The MXS and MXG Strada displays, and the smaller Solo 2 DL lap timer, can read engine data from the car's ECU and add GPS lap timing, predictive lap time and logging for review in AiM's Race Studio software. Things to know before buying: - Several specialists sell plug-in installation kits that replace the standard instrument pack and use the original wiring. - Later Toyota-engined cars, from around the 2008 model year, broadcast engine data on a CAN bus that the dash reads directly. Earlier cars may need the diagnostic connector protocol or extra sensors for some channels. Confirm what your model year supports. - Oil pressure and oil temperature are worth adding as dedicated sensors with alarms. On a 2ZZ they are the two numbers that save engines. - A dash that replaces the instrument cluster needs the odometer, warning lights and immobiliser functions handled correctly to stay road legal. ## 11. Engine swaps: the Honda K-swap and others The names here confuse people. The original Elise used the **Rover K-series**. A "K-swap" means fitting a **Honda K-series** engine, usually a K20A or K20A2 from a Civic or Integra Type R, or the larger K24. Why owners do it: - **Rover-engined cars.** The Honda engine removes the head gasket worry, adds about 80 to 100 bhp over a standard 1.8, and brings a strong six-speed gearbox with a factory limited-slip differential option. A K20 Elise S1 at around 750 kg is extremely quick. - **Toyota-engined cars.** The K-series has more mid-range than a 2ZZ, is less prone to oil starvation with the right sump, and has huge aftermarket support for both naturally aspirated and forced-induction builds. K24 conversions are popular in North America. What is involved: engine mounts, driveshafts, gear linkage, exhaust manifold, cooling and fuel plumbing, wiring and a programmable ECU. Complete conversion kits exist from specialists in the UK, Europe and the US. Budget for the kit, a donor engine and gearbox, and a good deal of labour. Before you commit: - Check emissions and registration rules where you live. In some places an engine swap makes the car difficult or impossible to register, or requires an engineering inspection. - Tell your insurer. - Think about value. An original, unmodified car is worth more to collectors; a well-executed swap is worth more to track drivers. Other swaps you will see include the Ford Duratec and the Audi 1.8T in S1 cars, and supercharger conversions for the 2ZZ, which are the more common route to power on a Toyota-engined car. ## 12. Noise Circuits enforce noise limits, commonly a static test and drive-by meters. A louder exhaust can get you sent home. If you fit one, choose a system with a removable or switchable silencer and know your car's reading before you travel. ## Evora and Emira The larger cars need less doing. Brake fluid, pads and tyres are the first steps, as on any car. The V6 is tolerant of track use, and the main costs are consumables: the cars are heavier, so they work their tyres and brakes harder. On an Emira, check what your warranty says about track use and modifications before changing anything. ## Where to use it The [events page](/events/) lists Lotus-only track day clubs and race series, and the [communities page](/communities/) lists the forums where every one of these modifications has been discussed at length.